ABSTRACT

Institutional campuses across the Northeastern United States face increasing energy demand for space cooling due to expanding building footprints, rising comfort expectations, and warmer seasonal temperature patterns. Conventional vapor-compression cooling systems contribute significantly to peak electricity loads and greenhouse gas emissions, making sustainable alternatives essential for long-term energy resilience. Solar-assisted absorption cooling systems (SA-ACS) offer a promising pathway by integrating solar thermal collectors with absorption chillers to reduce dependence on grid electricity while enhancing operational efficiency. This review synthesizes research on the design principles, system configurations, component technologies, and performance characteristics of solar-assisted absorption cooling systems suited for institutional campuses such as universities, hospitals, and research complexes. Key considerations include solar resource availability in the Northeastern U.S., optimal collector types and orientations, thermal storage strategies, absorption chiller selection (e.g., LiBr–water systems), and integration with campus district energy networks. The paper further evaluates system performance metrics such as coefficient of performance (COP), solar fraction, cooling capacity, economic viability, and lifecycle environmental benefits. Challenges associated with intermittency of solar radiation, seasonal resource variability, high initial capital costs, and operational complexities are critically analyzed alongside potential solutions including hybridization with auxiliary heating sources, improved control strategies, and advanced predictive energy management. The review concludes by outlining future research directions and policy implications needed to accelerate the adoption of SA-ACS as a sustainable cooling solution for institutional infrastructure in the region.